'Kiamat' preachy but surprisingly entertaining<\/p>\n
Joko Anwar
\nContributor
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
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\nKiamat Sudah Dekat (Doomsday is Near)
\nComedy\/Romance, 107 minutes **1\/2 (out of ****)
\nStarring Andre Stinky, Deddy Mizwar, Dwiki Reza, Ayu Pratiwi,
\nDewi Yull
\nDirected by Deddy Mizwar<\/p>\n
----------------------------------------------------------<\/p>\n
News of this latest local movie release set off at least two
\nalarm bells.<\/p>\n
First, there is the track record of has-been filmmakers trying
\nto make comeback to the big screen. Most of the time they cannot
\ntap into the changing tastes of the audience because they are
\nstill stuck in the time warp of yesteryear.<\/p>\n
Witness two films -- Joshua Oh Joshua and Bunga, Jangan Ada
\nDusta (Flower, let there be no lies) -- released in 2001 to
\ncapitalize on the success of the children's musical Petualangan
\nSherina (Sherina's Adventure).<\/p>\n
Made by directors popular in the 1980s and early 1990s, they
\nwere out of touch and stupid, and bombed at the box office.<\/p>\n
Even the commercial success of last year's corny horror film
\nKafir (Satanic) proved to be a fluke when the next effort by the
\nsame team, Peti Mati (The Coffin), showed that predictions of a
\nresurgence in local filmmaking were premature.<\/p>\n
And, second, any mention of doomsday in a local film title is
\nbound to leave film-goers, used to the preachy vehicles of the
\nold days, more than a little uneasy.<\/p>\n
They still remember the countless "religious action" movies of
\nthe early 1980s, in which dangdut singer Rhoma Irama would beat
\nup the bad guys just so he could then give them a verbal
\nwalloping on doing the right thing.<\/p>\n
There was even a 1991 film featuring preacher Zainuddin M.Z.
\nthat left nothing to the imagination in its title, Nada dan
\nDakwah (Tunes and Preaching)!<\/p>\n
Thankfully, the presumptions about Kiamat Sudah Dekat prove
\nwrong.<\/p>\n
The movie is unabashedly preachy, of course, but it is also
\ngood-natured, unexpectedly entertaining and quite clever.<\/p>\n
It marks the big screen feature directorial debut of Deddy
\nMizwar, a very good actor who starred in many respectable local
\nmovies, including arguably the best local comedy ever made,
\nKejarlah Daku Kau Kutangkap (Chase Me I'll Catch You), in 1985.<\/p>\n
Nobody is exactly dying to see his return to the big screen as
\nthey can still watch him on numerous TV soaps (and he also
\nappeared in the embarrassing Bunga, Jangan Ada Dusta).<\/p>\n
But those who miss the Deddy of old will be delighted to see
\nKiamat Sudah Dekat, in which he also stars.<\/p>\n
Singer Andre Stinky from pop group Stinky is surprisingly well
\ncast as hedonistic rock drummer Fandy, who goes through a life-
\nchanging experience after a boy accidentally throws ice cream
\ninto his face while he is riding his motorbike.<\/p>\n
He stops at a nearby mosque to wash his face, only to find a
\nkid trying to steal his boots outside.<\/p>\n
He chases the boy, who runs into a yard where a beautiful
\nyoung woman (newcomer Ayu Pratiwi) is hanging clothes out to dry.<\/p>\n
Thinking the boy is the woman's brother, a smitten Fandy
\ndecides to let the kid go. When Fandy makes his interest in her
\nclear, the young woman, who wears a headscarf, immediately
\nrebuffs his advances.<\/p>\n
The next day, he returns to the mosque, hoping that the kid
\nwill steal another pair of his boots so he can visit the young
\nwoman again.<\/p>\n
After a few funny moments, he must face the woman's father
\n(Deddy Mizwar) who turns out to be a devoutly religious man.
\nKnowing that a rock musician is after his daughter, who is
\nbeginning to return his interest, he lays out several conditions
\nthat Fandy must meet before the relationship can take its course.<\/p>\n
This simple story is made enjoyable by a funny script and the
\neffort to flesh out the otherwise one-dimensional characters.<\/p>\n
Deddy's father is refreshingly funny and witty as he tries to
\nmatch Fandy's coolness. Talented child actor Dwiki Reza (from the
\nOreo TV commercial) is also delightful as the kid who steals the
\nboots but ends up becoming the rock drummer's best buddy.<\/p>\n
Humor makes up for several lapses into silliness, including
\none scene where Fandy somehow does not know the difference
\nbetween a circumcised and uncircumcised penis.<\/p>\n
The biggest complaint is that filmmakers put very little
\neffort into the production design. Generic sets make the movie,
\nmade for about Rp 1 billion, appear to have the mediocre
\nproduction values of a TV series.<\/p>\n
Shot on digital video, the movie also offers camerawork too
\nlazy to impress the younger generation, though it is still much
\nmore appropriate than the overstylization of the latest horror
\nhit, Tusuk Jelangkung.<\/p>\n
Plus, the filmmakers simply do not have a sense for good
\nmusic, and the "rock" songs are unlikely to impress any real rock
\nfan. The score, including the annoying MIDI orchestra, is also
\nundistinguishable from any of that offered by a TV soap.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, the filmmakers spend most of the running time
\nfocusing on what they know best, with Deddy proving again his
\nskills as a comedian.<\/p>\n
That fact alone makes the film far less pretentious and more
\nsatisfying than many other local films of recent years.<\/p>",
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